Valladolid and Chichen Itza

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Our Arrival

The bus from Merida dropped us off at the bus station in town on calle 39 and calle 46.



Where We Stayed

Hostel de Huespedes - calle 39 and calle 48. M$180 for a double room with bathroom and TV. Internet worked in reception area. The whole place was pretty grubby and there was a dirty kitchen which could be used but no fridge. However it seemed to be the cheapest place in town and the room was large.



What We Did

VISITED CENOTES

Cenote Zaci - in town on calle 37 and 34. M$25 admission. A half open cenote with swimming.

Cenote Samula - out of town on the way to Dzitnup. We walked there and it took about 1 1/4hrs on a path running alongside the highway. There are also colectivos that go there for M$20 from calle 44 between 43 and 45. Admission is M$59. A nice enclosed cenote with a hole at the top with a tree running out. To get to it you have to walk past a lot of sellers. There is also another cenote here Cennote Xkeken again with an admission fee of M$59 which we didn't visit. The ticket office is the same but Xkeken is over the road.



WENT TO CHICHEN ITZA

We went to the bus station at 6:50am but found the next bus wasn't leaving until 8:15am. Next to the bus station on calle 39 is a collectivo station. A collectivo was leaving at 7am and cost M$25 each. The collectivo arrived at Chichen Itza at 7:50. The ticket office didn't open until 8am so we waited around and used the bathrooms and we were first into the site when it opened. This meant we got some great pictures with no-one else around. The admission fee was M$204. We had seen the whole site by about 10:45am so were just leaving as the many tour buses arrived. We just missed the next bus (M$26 - times are posted in a gift shop on your left as you enter the ticket area). We waited at the bus stop which is opposite the market near the tour bus car park. A collectivo pulled up at 11:45am and took us back to Valladolid M$25.



WALKED AROUND THE TOWN

There is a really helpful tourist information centre on the corner by the square on calle 41 and 40 which has maps available.

Further along calle 41 is a free museum with spanish signs and some artifacts.



Where We Ate

We used our hostel kitchen and there was a supermarket on calle 39 and calle 50.

I had a nice soup in the Bazar Municipal on the square. Walk to the restaurants at the back for cheaper meals.

There are food carts on calle 39 and a food court in the market on calle 35 and 32 which sell tortas and tacos.



Where We Went Next

We caught the bus to Tulum. The only buses were night buses or ones in the afternoon. The first one left at 1:05pm and only had a couple of seats left when we bought tickets at around 11am. It cost M$106 I think each however we used our discount coupons from our first ADO bus trip to Campeche so we paid M$73. The bus didn't actually leave until 1:20pm but was a first class bus with a toilet and movies. It arrived in Tulum at 2:55pm.

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